The prior art is replete with numerous examples of surgical drapes which have been designed and utilized, through the years, to aid clinicians in the treatment of patients having various maladies. Typically, such surgical drapes have been adapted for use with a wide variety of electronic and mechanical devices which are used for treating the patient's medical conditions. Depending on the nature of the condition, such medical devices, can for example, be surgically implanted, connected externally to the patient receiving treatment, or even used during a surgical technique.
Fenestrated surgical drapes have been used, heretofore, to maintain sterile conditions, maintain patient privacy, absorb bodily fluids, and further provide a clear and clean work area for the clinician. The prior art surgical drapes, such as the one shown in FIG. 1 employ a fenestration or opening in the surgical drape which provides the clinician with access to the desired site on the patient's body while preserving the function of the surgical drape which is utilized to cover other areas of the patient's body.
In a typical utilization of such fenestrated surgical drapes, a medical treatment site, such as a surgical site is located, and thereafter the site is prepared for surgery by making it substantially aseptic. Thereafter, the surgical drape having the fenestration is placed over the surgical site and the medical procedure or surgery is initiated. Following completion of the surgery, the typical practice is to remove the entire surgical drape because portions of the drape may have absorbed body fluid during the surgery. The patient is then moved from the surgical theater to a recovery room. Some surgical procedures require that the surgical site be monitored for a period of time in order to detect any abnormalities in the recovery of the patient. On some occasions, irregularities may occur either at the surgical site, or elsewhere in the patients' body which indicate that the previous surgical procedure has been unsuccessful or another situation has arisen in the patient's body which indicates that further surgical intervention is required by the clinician. In these circumstances, immediate surgical intervention is not possible inasmuch as the original surgical site is no longer in an aseptic condition. Consequently under these conditions, the surgical site must be again rendered aseptic before a clinician can gain access to same. This time delay to render a surgical site aseptic can be significant, and may under some circumstances be life threatening.
Therefore, a covering for an aseptic treatment site which addresses the perceived shortcomings of the prior art practices and devices utilized heretofore is the subject matter of the present application.